Challenges

The QUICOM project will face a lot of challenges in a number of topics. As far as the robot based XCT is concerned, the main challenge is about the geometric setup, necessary to realize XCT acquisition for large structures. Especially in the case of structures with a certain depth, very large traverse paths of X-ray detector and/or source have to be realized in order to get high resolution scans. This results in high requirements for the necessary positioning and repeatability precision of the measurement system. Large traverse paths also require a lot of space around the inspection area. This may pose problems in industrial application if the structures to be inspected are mounted, for instance, on a support frame. Another moderate challenge may arise from the calibration procedure necessary for the independently working robot systems. So it is still unknown what precision will be reachable in real world situations.

With respect to the integration of CT- and X-ray inspection into the production environment, the risk lies in the possibility of sufficiently reducing the necessary number of views without losing the necessary defect sensitivity. In CFRP modelling and simulation the challenges that may be faced come from the availability, accuracy and reliability of XCT scan data, which will be used as input to the models. In addition, the correlation between numerical models and experiments is considered as another challenge of the project since it reflects the efficiency of the respective models.

Finally, as far as the software demonstrator is concerned, the main risks are found in terms of data handling, reconstruction, visualization and analysis. The targeted QUICOM data acquisition methods will generate large stacks of projection images, which have to be handled, reconstructed, visualized and analysed.